Feliz Cumpleaños
by Prince Izzy X
Summary: [Written as a birthday present for Silent Whisper] Sam is feeling down after having the greatest day of the year destroyed by his forgetful friends and his even worse rival. When he winds up on Lars’ doorstep, can the brunet help him feel better? [Slash]
1. A Teary Beginning

Disclaimer: Nothing that is copyrighted belongs to me. Only myself & my fan character(s). This goes for the whole fic. And if by some weird twist of fate, this fic breaks any of this site's childish and unfair rules, **_please do the courteous thing and tell me in a review what I did wrong!_** If it doesn't ruin the artistic quality of the fic, I'll fix it **_ASAP!_** I'm usually on all day. **_At least give me a chance to fix the problem before reporting me!_**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Pre-story Conversation

The scene opened in the studio. Izzy, Iggy, and I were standing behind a table that had a huge birthday cake on it. Stuck on the cake were seventeen candles, all of which were lit. Behind us was a huge stack of presents. We were all wearing birthday hats. Izzy had his arms crossed and his usual irritated look while Iggy, smiling all the while, blew on his noisemaker. I had my host's face on, which wasn't really saying much. It was a mixture of excitement and slight insanity. Or maybe it's just one of them. Take your pick.

"Welcome to the show, folks!" I said, waving at the camera.

"Hmph! Hi." Izzy grunted.

"Hi everybody!" Iggy shouted, waving wildly before going back to blowing the noisemaker.

"Today, we're celebrating a good friend (or former; I'm not quite sure yet) of mine's seventeenth birthday!" I started. "Silent Whisper asked me to write this fic as a present for her."

"Hmmmmm…" Izzy held his chin. "Considering that she's a Twister/Reggie writer, I guess that means this won't be a lousy slash fic for once." He smiled.

"Actually…"

Izzy grabbed me by the shirt collar. "WHAT!.?.! _Another_ one!.?.!"

"Don't look at me!" I defended, getting out of his grip. "_She's_ the one who asked!"

"Ugh…" The boy slapped his head. "So what's the stinkin' pairing?"

I grinned. "Sam/Lars."

"Eeeeeeee!.!.!" Iggy cheered. "You're gonna pair _those_ two up!.? Kawaii!.!.!"

"You're working on a pairing involving _him_!.?.!" The older brother demanded.

I shrugged. "Again, she asked." I turned to the camera as Izzy stomped around. "Anyway, as well as being my first full fledged Sam/Lars fic, this'll also be my first attempt at angsty stuff."

Izzy stopped and snickered. "Heh, does that mean a certain so-and-so is gonna jump off a bridge or something?"

I glared at him. "No! You know I hate suicide and death!" The one in the blue hat glared right back at me.

Iggy gasped. "Aw man… And here I was hoping to get some great scenes of them kissing…"

"Who said they're not gonna kiss?"

Instantly, the little boy's eyes brightened. "Ya mean it!.?.!"

"Well, I don't wanna give anything away…" I answered, winking. "Ya just gotta see what happens."

"Oh joy…" Izzy said sarcastically as he walked away. "If ya need me, I'll be in my trailer."

"Ok… But you'll miss out on a really great scene…" I tempted.

"What? Blondie and Lars doing the mattress mumbo? No, thanks."

"Well no. This _is_ a T rated fic, after all."

"Aw man!" Iggy pouted.

Izzy blinked as he walked back to me. "Then what?"

I bent over and whispered something to him. When I finished, he glowered at me.

"You're lying." He simply said.

I blinked. "You know I wouldn't lie about something like that."

"You're lying." He repeated.

"But—"

"No, no, no! You're lying! It's as simple as that!"

"Hmph!" I crossed my arms. "And just what makes you so sure I'm lying?"

"Three words: April Fools Day."

"Aw come on!" I groaned. "You _still_ don't trust me after that fic!.?.!"

"Of course not! Ya completely lost my trust after _that_ little fiasco! Not that you had my trust before that one, but still…"

"Come on, big bro! You can trust Daddy!" Iggy said, looking up at me. "Right Dad?"

"Right!" I gave him a thumbs-up before turning to Izzy. "See? At least _somebody_ trusts me."

"That's because he has _respect_ for you." The elder fan character retorted. "_I_ don't!"

"Look," I started, reaching into my pocket as I walked up to him. "If I'm lying, you can use this battlechip on me."

I handed the chip to him. Izzy took it and looked at it curiously.

"'Bamboo Lance?' You'd let me use this on ya?"

"Yep, but _only_ if I'm lying, which I'm not."

"Ha!" He scoffed, putting the chip in his pocket. "Yeah right! I'm gonna make sure I keep _this_ baby close to me."

"Fine whatever." I sighed, turning to the camera. "Anyway, it's time to start! Before I forget, I wanna thank mike2000 for helping out with this idea. So ya better thank him too, Silent Whisper! See ya later and enjoy the fic, birthday girl!"

Iggy and I waved at the camera while Izzy examined his mallet.

(A/N: To find out more about that battlechip stuff, read the pre and post-chapter conversations of chapters 19 and 20 of Rocket Heroes.)

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Feliz Cumpleaños

Chapter One

A Teary Beginning

Sam Dullard was an emotional wreck. His wracked sobs echoed throughout Ocean Shores as he trudged up the hill to his home. His tears cascaded onto the unforgiving concrete. His skateboard, which was cracked in two, was held under each arm. His yellow-orange shirt had a massive hole in the center, showing his broad lightly tanned chest.

Both the shirt and his pair of jean shorts were black in several places. Bruises covered his arms and legs as he stumbled onward. The fins on his shark helmet were bent beyond recognition. The five foot tall fifteen-year-old's sandy hair hung low covering his eyes. It was normally a bright, cheery yellow, but now, his bangs were a dirty, greenish color, having been the first thing his tears touched on their trip from his eyes down to the uncaring ground below. The rest of his hair had muddy brown spots, as did the helmet.

Soon, the ground leveled out, a clear signal that the depressed blond reached the cul-de-sac where he lived. Sniffling and rubbing his nose, he looked up. It was then that his hair moved, showing his black, square-lens glasses. Both lenses were cracked beyond repair. It was next to impossible to see. The fragments of glass only served to duplicate all he saw, which only confused him more.

So taking into account this fact and his current emotional state, would be it be any surprise that he wound up on the doorstep of seventy-nine Ozone Street? If you think about it, it's possible. He was crying so much that his vision was even more blurry and disoriented than it currently was. Many emotions swam through his mind as he walked up those steps (which he thought was odd, but paid no mind). Devastation, loneliness, fear, confusion, and slight rage served to distort his movements and numbed all that he knew. As far as he was concerned, his house was a sanctuary atop a larger than he remembered stoop.

When he reached the door, he turned the knob to find it unlocked and stepped inside. As soon as he closed the door, he dropped to the floor and let it all out in one high pitched wail. The pieces of his skateboard bounced a couple of feet away from him.

"What did I do wrong!.?.!" His voice was muffled as he cried into his arms. "How could _everybody_ forget!.?.! Why did they do this to me!.?.!"

He banged the floor as a puddle slowly formed around him. His body shook as he took in air.

"This can't be happening! What'd I do to them!.?.!"

"Oh I don't know. How about crying like a freakin' baby and going into the _wrong_ house!" A new voice shouted, causing the blond to cut his sobs short.

"Huh?.?.?" He looked up quizzically.

Standing in front of him was a purple blur. He blinked, trying to bring the person into focus, but his cracked glasses prevented the figure from being seen. It didn't matter anyway; he knew who was standing over him. Sixteen-year-old Lars Rodriguez was nearly a whole foot taller than Sam. He had a much darker tan, complimented by his brown hair and gray hat. The purple shirt and green shorts served to add to his status as a bully.

Sam blinked when he noticed two spots of dark brown cross in front of his chest. He sighed and gave up on trying to see him.

"What's the deal with you anyway? What are ya doing coming into my house and crying like a big baby?" The older boy asked.

"_Your_ house…?.?.? Th-this isn't m-m-m-mine…?" Sam asked between choked sobs. Lars merely shook his head, but slapped it when he saw the shorter teen's waiting expression.

"Nope." He answered. "How did ya get our houses mixed up!.? _Yours_ don't have stairs!"

Sam flinched at the shout. Seeing this, the taller boy sighed in exasperation.

"Ok… Never mind. Why are ya crying for?" He asked as calmly as possible. The blond only buried his face again. Lars groaned. "_What!.?_ What'd I do!.?"

"N-n-nothing…" Sam sputtered. "I-it's just…"

Lars rubbed his temple as the blond tried to explain himself.

'_Why do **I** have to be stuck with this geek? Couldn't he do this with Rocket Dork's sister or something?_' He blinked when he recalled what Sam said earlier. '_It was their fault he's like this…_' He growled inwardly as he shook his fists. '_Wait until I get my hands on them!_' He sighed.'_I guess I better get him home._'

"Come on kid, I'll take ya home to your mom." He said, helping him up.

"NO!.!.!" Sam yelped, clinging to the other boy. Lars' eyes widened as he blushed at the sudden action. "Don't take me home! Mom would kill me because of my glasses!"

That was when the one in the gray hat noticed the cracked lenses. It looked as if Sam had twelve eyes. The brunet suppressed the urge to laugh at the sight. After all, who knew what the blond would do in his distressed state? He pried himself out of Sam's surprisingly strong grip and cleared his throat in an effort to get rid of the blush.

"Fine, you can stay here, but I want to know everything that happened to ya. Got it?"

"G-g-g-got it…" The young one nodded shakily.

"Good. Now you better sit down."

With that, Lars took Sam's hand and guided him into the living room. Both boys blushed at the contact, Sam more so than Lars. It was no secret, at least to Reggie, that the blond was attracted to the bully. He always liked the evil, mischievous types. The kind of people that don't conform to the rules at all; those that would get detention and come up with dastardly schemes, not to mention lie, cheat, and steal. Despite the teasing Lars has done to him and his friends over the years, the bespectacled one has felt a strong desire within him; the desire to bring light into the older boy's dark heart. If he could accomplish that and be with him, he could do anything.

When they reached the only sofa in the room, Lars sat Sam down on the left side before sitting on the opposite end. The blond, having lost his blush, silently cried to himself. This went on for a few minutes with him mumbling to himself and covering his eyes. Rolling his own eyes, the brunet reached over, grabbed a box of tissues from the table and handed it to Sam.

"Quit your bellyaching and tell me what happened already!" He commanded. Flinching again, the younger boy took out a piece of tissue and blew his nose.

"O-o-ok…" He sniffled, taking another tissue and wiping his eyes. "It all started this morning…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

°BUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZ!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!°

That was the sound of the alarm clock. That all too annoying sound was heard for close to thirty seconds before a hand reached over and switched it off. The hand then reached farther and grabbed a pair of glasses (which at the time had lenses without a scratch on them). The hand retracted towards the bed, where its owner was lying. It then placed the glasses over the boy's eyes.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh…" The blond yawned, having been tossed out of his dreams of grandeur, wealth, and the love of a certain brunet. He rubbed his eyes before turning to his left, where his calendar was. He looked at the square for today's date.

_Saturday, June 18th_

The square had a red circle drawn around it. In its center was a drawing of a birthday cake complete with five candles. Realizing what this meant, his eyes widened as a toothy grin overtook his tired expression.

"It's my birthday!.!.!" He whispered joyfully to himself, not wanting to wake up his mother. "It's finally here! I thought it'd never come!"

He tossed his blanket off himself, revealing a slim body dressed in only a pair of boxers, which was dotted with Sonic the Hedgehog's face. Over the years, Sam has developed a nice washboard stomach from all the skating, surfing, snowboarding, etc., etc. that he's done. His activities also allowed him to develop tight muscles. Sandy hair began to grow along his arms and body. He also let his hair grow out to a small bush which went down the sides of his head; a decision that his mother strongly disapproved of.

Sam gasped when a thought came to him.

"Today I turn sixteen…" His grin grew wider, if that was even possible. "That means that for five precious months, I'm the same exact age as Lars!" He sighed lovingly as his face went slightly pink. "How perfect would it be if we got together…?"

He stood there swooning for close to ten minutes when a voice was heard.

"Sam! Come and get breakfast!"

That was his mother, Paula. Getting out of his reverie, Sam shook his head and walked over to his dresser. After grabbing his trademark shirt along with a pair of blue jean shorts and socks, he got dressed, put on his shoes, and rushed out of the room.

He had a good reason to be in a hurry. Every year, his mother serves him a special breakfast in honor of his anniversary of coming into this world. Scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast strips, all kinds of fruit, and as much orange juice as he can drink. He would almost always be stuffed to the breaking point, but he wouldn't gain an ounce. That was the benefit of all that exercise: fast metabolism. Only a mere hour would pass and he'd have a hankering for a hula burger at the Shack. He'd have more than enough energy to attempt new tricks at Mad Town or while surfing. Of course, he'd mess up most of the time, but that never stops him! In fact, all that energy has given him plenty of stamina so that he can keep trying from sunrise to sunset if he wanted to.

He soon arrived at the kitchen, gave Paula a cheerful "Good morning," and sat at the table. He grabbed the nearby napkin and stuffed part of it down his shirt. He then picked up his fork and knife and sat patiently (or as patient as fidgeting in your seat like an eight-year-old hyped up on sugar can be considered). He looked at his mother with that bright-eyed, energetic look he's developed over the years as he watched her cook and move from the stove over to the sink then the fridge and back. He followed her every movement with increasing impatience and jubilation.

Soon, all that patience (or lack thereof) and happiness were for not when Paula placed a huge bowl in front of him. Sam blinked when he looked at the grayish slop occupying the bowl. He blinked again and again and again, but still didn't understand the presence of this foreign substance. He put down the fork and knife and picked up a spoon. He then dipped it into the strange concoction, brought it out and examined it.

Yep. Gray and lumpy.

The teen tilted his spoon, allowing the goop to fall back into the bowl. It made a sickening sploosh sound as the glob returned. He leaned over and sniffed. He immediately drew his head back and held his nose. It smelled disgusting! He looked up at his mother who sat down after placing a pitcher of orange juice between them.

"Uhhhh… Mom? What is this?" He asked, trying to understand what was going on, but failing miserably.

What _is_ this stuff? Is it even _edible_? What happened to that lovely birthday breakfast he always had? What happened to the scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast strips, all kinds of fruit; and as much orange juice as he can drink? Why was it replaced by this weird and most likely horrible-tasting substitute?

"It's oatmeal, Sammy." Paula replied, digging into her own bowl.

Again, Sam blinked.

"…Oat…meal…?" He said slowly as he looked at the bowl, losing his appetite by the second. Oatmeal came in liquid form? He looked at his mother pleadingly. She wasn't expecting him to _eat_ this, was she? Not on his _birthday_ of all days! "B-b-but what about…?"

"Now Sam, we have to save money." She cut him off. "The bills have been getting higher and higher over the last couple of weeks. We'll have to cut back on our expenses."

Sam blinked. He wasn't aware that money was tight. Why, yesterday, Paula gave him twenty dollars to go to the amusement park with his friends. And the day before that, she allowed him to go to the movies to watch Star Wars: Episode III. He bowed his head in shame. If he knew that Paula was in such bad shape financially, he wouldn't have asked for all of that, as well as other things.

"Well, bottoms up then…" He sighed, dipping his spoon into the gray blob again. "At least I'll have something to look forward to later today, right?"

He inserted the utensil into his mouth and cringed at the awful taste.

"What do you mean?" Paula asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

°Clang!°

The spoon fell out of Sam's hand with a clatter, but he didn't bother to pick it up. He was too busy gaping at his mother with wide, fearful eyes. His face went pale as he tried to understand what she just said. It wasn't possible. It was inconceivable. It was beyond all logic!

'_S-s-s-she forgot my birthday!_'

"Y-y-y-y-you mean you don't know what today is…?" He asked once he found his voice. Paula waved a dismissive hand.

"Of course I know what today is!" She scoffed.

"Whew…" Sam sighed with relief.

"It's laundry day." Sam paled again. "Now finish your breakfast and go play. I have to clean the house."

"Y-y-yes ma'am…"

Trying to understand how his _mother_ of all people can forget his birthday completely killed his appetite. But he had to do what she said. Slowly and with little emotion, he ate the horrid tasting food. Once he finished, he went to the bathroom where he flossed, brushed his teeth, put on deodorant, and washed his face. Once he was finished, he went into his room, where he put on his skating gear and grabbed his board. Holding back a tear, he left the house and entered the cul-de-sac.

"Hmmmm…" He held his chin as he looked around at the three other houses present. "Maybe Reggie and Otto remembered."

With that, he walked over to the Rocket residence. After crossing the front yard, he rang the doorbell. A minute or two passed before the door opened, revealing Noelani, the Rocket siblings' stepmother.

"Why hello Sammy. What can I do for you?" She greeted.

"Hey, Noelani. Is Reggie and Otto here?"

"No, I'm afraid you just missed them." She answered. "They went into town so you should be able to find them somewhere near the Shack."

"Oh…" Sam lowered his head. "Do you know if Twister was with them?"

"I didn't see him. Sorry." She started to retreat inside. "Now I have a lot of work to do. I need to set up the pu'iwa pa'ina. See you later."

"Ok… See ya…" He trailed off, turning towards the house next to his. "I can't believe she didn't remember either…" He started walking towards Twister's house. "I just hope _somebody_ remembers…"

After ascending the stairs leading up to the front door, he rang the bell. A few moments passed before the door opened and he felt his heart go into his throat. Standing in the open doorway was his secret crush, Lars. The older boy was dressed in only a white tank top and a pair of blue boxers. Of course, he was wearing his trademark gray hat. Sam's eyes went wide as he looked him up and down.

'_M-m-m-maybe he j-j-j-j-just g-g-g-got up…_' He stuttered inwardly as his face went so red that it looked as if blood would gush out of his nose any second. Thankfully, this was prevented when the brunet cleared his throat with an impatient grunt.

"Whaddya want, dork?"

It took everything Sam had not to sigh longingly at that comment. Instead, he cleared his throat, causing his blush to subside somewhat.

"Umm… Erm…" He tried to find his voice, but only incoherent noises came out. He finally found his voice when he noticed Lars giving him a look of bitter irritation. "I-i-i-is T-T-T-Twister h-h-h-home…?"

"Hmph!" Lars glowered as he crossed his arms. "That little twerp left with Rocket Dork and his sister a little while ago. They're probably at the Shack like always."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "What time did they leave if you know?"

The taller boy's expression became even more irritated. "I heard my dorky brother making all kinds of noise at seven and it went on for close to an hour."

The blond felt tears stinging his eyes again. "B-b-b-but I didn't wake up until n-n-nine… Why didn't they c-c-come to get m-m-me…?"

"Awww what's the matter? Did poor widdle Squiddy get ditched?" Lars laughed teasingly. Sam lowered his head. The older one was about to close the door when the shorter one shot his head up.

"Wait!" Lars stopped and opened the door to look at him. "Do you know what today is?"

Lars raised an eyebrow. "Duh! Why wouldn't I know that!.?" Sam gasped happily. "It's Saturday! I gotta mow the lawn, like mom ever forgets to remind me. Ugh!"

With that, he slammed the door in Sam's face. Crestfallen, the bespectacled one descended the stairs, hopped on his board and rolled down the hill. But not before a couple of tears fell onto the ground.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lars paled as he gasped.

"T-t-today's your b-b-b-birthday…?" He asked with a dry throat. Sam choked back a sob as he nodded.

"Y-yeah…" And he glared at Lars. "And _everybody_ forgot!"

For the first time since Sam entered the house, Lars flinched. His face grew worrisome as the blond let out the water works full blast. He tried to talk him out of it, but nothing seemed to work. Sam was crying so loud that the brunet couldn't even get through to him. The boy in the hat held his chin, trying to think of something to stop making it sound like he was killing the other teen. He snapped his fingers as he thought of something. He seemed to remember that when he and Twister were kids, his mother would hold them in her lap whenever they cried. They calmed down almost immediately. Lars gulped as he turned to the bawling blond.

'_Well, I gotta do **something** to shut 'im up, right!.?_' He gulped again. '_I swear, nobody better come in on us!_'

With that, he reached over, grabbed Sam by the waist, and with one swift motion, placed him on his lap. The younger boy was still crying so, blushing all the while, Lars moved his legs up and down in order to rock and calm him. It seemed to be working as Sam, surprised at what was happening, slowly quieted down. He went from wailing to sniffling to breathing heavily. When he finally caught his breath, he turned to Lars and felt his face flare up.

'_H-h-h-he's **holding** me?.?.?_' He thought, feeling himself go numb. '_D-d-does that mean he…?_'

"L-L-Lars… Wh-wh-what're you…? A-a-are you…?"

Lars cut him off with a sharp glower. "Shaddap and continue already! What happened next?"

Sam hung his head low and smirked. As he thought about what to say next, he moved around, trying to get comfortable in his crush's lap. He soon stopped when Lars, feeling something go stiff and hard, cleared his throat with a lighter than usual voice. Satisfied, the blond stopped and continued with his story.

"Well, I soon got to the Shack…"


	2. Mas Drallud

Feliz Cumpleaños

Chapter Two

Mas Drallud

'_Ugh… I gotta eat something…_' Sam groaned as he walked into the restaurant. He was holding his skateboard under one arm while the other clutched his growling stomach. '_That oatmeal did **nothing** for me…_'

He approached the counter and sat at a stool. He put down his board and waited for someone to come. After several agonizing minutes of clutching his stomach and thinking about how the best day of the year for him could be forgotten, Tito walked over to him.

"Aloha little cuz!" He said happily. "What can I do for ya?"

"A hula burger, an order of chili fries, and a chocolate milkshake." Sam ordered with a moan.

It was like clockwork. He almost always ordered that for lunch. He was usually bugged by his friends (especially Otto) to pick something else. But he never listened to them. Tito went to complete his order. While he waited, Sam held his chin, wondering if he should even attempt to find out if the big brunet remembered his birthday. He shrugged and decided to do so. Couldn't hurt to try, right?

"Hey Tito," He called the chef over as he propped his chin on his hand. "Do you know what today is?"

"Why of course I do, little cuz!" The Hawaiian said cheerfully. Sam didn't even hold his breath. "It's the day of the annual ancient Hawaiian tradition of the Pu'iwa Pa'ina."

The teen slapped his head. Why wasn't he surprised? Tito blinked curiously as he went back to preparing Sam's lunch.

"Is something wrong, cuz?"

"Oh no, nothing at all…" The blond answered with a depressed sigh. "So what is this 'Pu'iwa Pa'ina'?"

"Ahhhh… It's a grand celebration in which Mas Drallud, the golden haired god of determination and intelligence, is honored." The older man explained with an air of happiness and pride. He loved to explain his traditions to the kids. "There is cake, chips, soda, ice cream; and many tributes are made so that the god is happy and content for another year."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Cake, chips, and ice cream? Sounds like a birthday party…"

Tito started to sweat, but he kept his cool as he handed Sam his meal. "Oh I assure you, it's not a birthday party at all, little cuz. It's a very serious and important ritual. In fact, Mas Drallud's tribute requires a human sacrifice in order to truly appease his wrath."

Sam paled. "A h-h-h-human sacrifice?.?.?"

"Right." The brunet answered, nodding gravely. Seeing the boy shudder, he laughed heartily. "Don't worry, little cuz! Mas Drallud only wants sacrifices of evil, mischievous, and wicked people that have darkness in their hearts. As far as I'm concerned, you got the purest heart out of anyone I know. And believe me, that's saying a lot!"

Despite the fact that Tito seemed to forget about his birthday, that one comment really made Sam's day. He smiled sadly at the man as he finished off his shake. He had polished off his plate while Tito was telling his story. Sometimes, in his fun and cheery way, he can really bring joy to people in their time of need without even knowing it.

"T-Tito…" He trailed off, wiping away a tear that was threatening to fall. "Thanks a lot… But today's—"

"WAHOO!.!.!" A voice shouted, startling him.

Almost immediately, Sam realized who it belonged to. Only one person has a voice like that. Otto Rocket, one of his closest friends. The blond grinned as he got up off his stool. If anybody would remember his birthday, it was his three comrades! He picked up his skateboard and started towards the exit.

"Hey cuz, what were you gonna say?" Tito asked. Sam stopped and turned towards him.

"Oh… Ummm… Never mind. I-I-I was just thinking out loud. That's all." He replied. He then waved. "See ya later!"

"Aloha!" The man returned, waving back.

'_You mean to tell me he remembers a god's **tribute**, but not my birthday?_' The sudden thought struck Sam as soon as he left the Shack and started down the ramp. '_And why haven't I heard about this "Pu'iwa Pa'ina" before?_'

He shrugged as he reached the bottom.

'_Maybe he and Noelani did the ritual in secret all these years. But still, if it's on the same day as my birthday, you'd think that would ring **some** bells!_' He then gulped as his eyes widened. '_Do they **really** perform sacrifices?_' He shuddered as he continued walking.

As he entered Mad Town (he saw Otto soaring over the half pipe as he left the Shack), he decided to just calm down and put on a happy expression. After all, nobody made him forget his troubles better than his friends. Well, except maybe Lars, but that's another story.

With a friendly wave and a "Hey! What's up," he climbed up the half pipe's steps and stood by Twister and Reggie, who were watching Otto with admiration and interest (Twister a thousand times more so than Reggie °Wink, wink°). Strangely though, nobody responded to Sam. He tried again, but still got no response. The silent treatment finally ended when Otto returned to their end of the wooden structure with a grand landing.

"Squid! It's about time ya showed up!" He yelled.

"Yeah! What took ya so long?.!" Twister added, putting his arm around Otto's waist and planting a kiss on his lips.

"Ya shoulda been here an hour ago, Squid!" Reggie supplied, crossing her arms impatiently.

Otto and Twister were fifteen; only two and three months younger than Sam respectively. Reggie was a month and three weeks older than her best friend. Otto was five and a half feet tall. He had a broader chest than Sam. His red dreadlocks, which had grown over the years, barely stayed under his red and white dome helmet. His cinnamon skin brought out the color in his eyes, not that you can tell due to his green-tinted sunglasses. He was wearing a yellow shirt and a pair of reddish jean shorts.

Twister, Otto's boyfriend for a year and a half, was significantly taller. He was at least five feet, ten inches tall. He had a cute orange cowlick peeking out from under his red winged helmet. Orange hair could be seen coming down the sides of his head. His chest was between Otto and Sam's in terms of muscle development. He was wearing a blue tank top over his white shirt and a pair of baggy green shorts. In Sam's eyes, he may be good looking, but he paled greatly in comparison to his older brother.

Finally, there was the beautiful Reggie. She clearly outdid all three boys in terms of height. She was nearly as tall as Lars. Her regal purple hair reached midway down her back. Like always, there was a pair of red rimmed sunglasses nestled on top of her yellow helmet. She was wearing a red-violet shirt that had a rocket pictured on it and a pair of camouflage pants. She has really grown up over the years. Her slim and smooth body can turn a guy's gaze to her in a heartbeat. Sam sometimes envied her. If had that kind of ability, he'd have Lars in the blink of an eye!

The blond raised an eyebrow at them. They never sounded so…so nasty towards him. At least not since that whole video game fiasco a few years ago. It wasn't like them at all. After all, they were just like they always were yesterday. Otto and Twister would whisper sweet nothings in each other's ears while Sam and Reggie would gossip. Of course, they did all that while they skated and surfed. The blond just shook his head and held his cool. After all, he didn't want to start anything.

"Uhhh… Sorry, guys." He started, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I woke up late this morning. Too excited thinking about today, ya know." He chuckled sheepishly.

The rest of the group only gave him a confused look.

"Erm… What's so special about today?" Reggie queried.

°Slam!°

Sam's skateboard landed on the floor as he stiffened. His mouth hung open like a goldfish out of water. His body became like stone as the color drained from his entire body. His eyes went as wide as humanely possible (and then some) as he played those words over and over again in his mind. He took in very small breaths as he tried (unsuccessfully) to find his voice. Only pained noises came out as he pointed at all three of them with a trembling finger. He didn't just hear what he _thought_ he heard. He just couldn't! It's impossible! Inconceivable! Not to mention downright unfair!

'_N-n-n-no… Please tell me this isn't happening…_' He whimpered as tears built up again. He slowly backed up. '_H-h-h-how could **they**…? Th-th-they all just forgot… But how?.?.?_'

"Well, now that you're here, we can finally play some O-T-T-O!" Otto said, scratching Twister's chin, making him purr as he went to the half pipe's edge. "Repeat after me, boys and girl."

With that, he dropped in and rolled down the half pipe. He went up the other end and went down again. He went back and forth for a few moments, building up his speed, before he launched off the opposite end of the structure. When he was at a sufficient height, he performed his signature move, aptly-named "Rocket Air." Basically, he moved his skateboard up and sort of laid on it. He allowed himself to spin around in the air for a few seconds before he shot back up and performed an ollie. He took a quick spin before finally landing on the pipe again. He rolled along the bottom and up before reaching the end the other teens were on.

"Nice one, Ottoman!" Twister cheered, giving his lover a peck on the cheek.

"Not bad, bro." Reggie said with a nod.

"So who's next?" Otto asked, crossing his arms.

"How about Squid?" The taller redhead said, leaning on his boyfriend.

"M-m-m-me!.?" Sam gulped. There was no way he could pull off a move like that! The others gave him disapproving looks.

"What's the matter? Scared?" Otto teased.

"Yeah! Don't be such a baby." Twister supplied.

"Just go already!" Reggie added.

Sam gave her a weirded out look. He expected that sorta thing from Otto and Twister, but _Reggie_?.?.? She always supported him no matter what. It was even thought that they would get together eventually. That is, until Sam confided his crush on Lars to her. Now it almost seemed like she was turning her back on him. He took another gulp and nodded. Whatever he did to the trio, he wanted to make things right.

"Alright…" He started, picking up his board as he walked over to the edge. "Here goes nothing!"

He got on his board and went down the side of the pipe. He built up speed much like how Otto did. When was going fast enough, he went up the opposite side and flew into the air. He nailed the Rocket Air part of the stunt perfectly, but he wasn't able to stand up before gravity affected him.

"Woah!"

°CRASH!°

Sam landed on his back. His board was a couple of feet away. As he stood up with a groan, all three of his friends laughed at him. Completely baffled and sniffling slightly, he got up and rejoined them. Their laughter turned to small snickers when he reached the platform again.

"Alright Squid, that's an O for ya." The leader of the group told him. He turned to his boyfriend and sister. "Next?"

Twister went up next. He managed to perform the move beautifully, which earned him a deep smooch from Otto as soon as he returned. Reggie also performed the move with no trouble at all. When she came back, the next round started almost immediately.

Otto jumped down and got his speed going. He was soon up in the air, ready to perform another stunt. He performed a sweet McTwist. Before landing on the half pipe, he tilted his body upwards while reaching his hand out. He held on to the board with his other hand. He grabbed the edge of the pipe stayed there for a couple of seconds, balancing himself before pushing up and righting himself. He rolled along the pipe and came back to everybody.

"You're up, Squid!" He said to a trembling Sam after Twister and Reggie congratulated him.

'_Have they gone insane!.?.!_' The blond thought as he prepared to drop in again. '_They know perfectly well I can't do moves like that, let alone **combos**!_'

"Let's go! We don't have all day!" Reggie heckled.

"Hurry it up, Squid!" Twisted added.

"Heh, get ready for another Squid and beef combo!" Otto teased.

Trying very hard to ignore that jab, Sam took off and attempted to pull off this maneuver. After building speed, he took off. When he did the McTwist, he almost messed up his form while spinning, but the real trouble started when he tried to grab the half pipe. He was just getting out of the spin when he reached out. Unfortunately, he stretched his arm out too far and thus hurt his hand badly. He instinctively yanked it back and rubbed it to make the pain go away. Because he was nursing his hand, he wasn't watching what he was doing and crashed again, getting a T. Reggie and the others teased him big time for that one.

It pretty much continued that way for a while. Otto, Twister, and Reggie would perform tricks too advanced for Sam to copy, making him lose every single game. They put him through misty flips, indies, stalefishes, and other tough moves. After what seemed like a hundred crashes, Sam was in pretty bad shape. His clothes were torn and stained. His helmet was also bent in certain areas. It was hard to move due to the pain he was in.

But nothing was hurt more than his feelings.


	3. The Rival and the Kiss

Feliz Cumpleaños

Chapter Three

The Rival and the Kiss

"Those freakin' little twerps!" Lars roared, clenching his fists. He was beyond livid and appalled. "When I get my hands on them, they'll wish they were never—!"

He was cut off by a low sniffling. Sweating slightly, he turned his attention to Sam who was getting ready to go into another crying fit. Lars gave him an exasperated look as he wailed yet again.

'_Ya think he woulda ran outta tears by now…_' He thought with a moan. He sighed.

"Come on Squid, calm down already." He boredly told the blond as he started rocking again.

However, the younger boy was too distraught and busy thinking over everything that's happened to even feel the other's gentle movements. Lars only tried harder to make him settle down. He moved his legs faster. It didn't work, causing the brunet to panic. And Sam was becoming louder and louder by the minute! Lars gritted his teeth trying to think of something when he blinked, remembering another facet of his past.

'_Whenever Twister cried and moaned as a kid, Mom would always hold him close to her until he shut up…_'

He gulped when he realized what that meant. He would have to hold _Sam_! He sat there, looking at him with a wide-eyed, almost frightful expression. The blond's crying soon got to him, causing him to blink and grit his teeth in annoyance.

'_Oh alright! I'll do it!_' He thought with a growl. '_It's better than letting him carry on. I swear, I'm gonna kill them for making me go through this…_'

With a strong desire of revenge for those that brought the boy to him, he wrapped his arms around Sam's waist and held him against his chest. The one in the glasses started to calm down a bit, but was still crying slightly.

"Shhhhh…" Lars tried, imitating his mother. "Come on, it'll be alright. Just chill…"

He blushed big time in embarrassment from doing this. But at the same time, it made him kind of happy to be holding Sam in his arms like this. If it wasn't for the fact that the blond was completely confused and disoriented, Lars would think that he completely trusted him. Maybe even saw him as a friend or…perhaps something more…?

Lars shook his head at the notion. There's no way Sam would look at him that way! He blinked as he registered all this. Feeling his face go redder and redder, he looked down at the younger one, who was starting to quiet down again.

'_Do I really like him…?_' He cracked a small smile. '_…Well, he **is** kinda cute… I certainly wouldn't mind getting with him…_' He shook his head. '_But that's nuts. He doesn't think of me that way at all._' He sighed and looked ahead at the TV, which was turned off.

'_But at least he decided to come to me for help…_' He blinked and slapped his head. '_Wait a minute, he **didn't** come to me on purpose, remember!.?_'

"…Lars…?" The dry and cracked voice penetrated his thoughts. Coming back to the situation at hand, Lars looked down at Sam. There seemed to be a small smile on his face, as well as a tinge of pink. The brunet returned the smile with one of genuine warmth.

"Feeling better, Squid?" He asked gently. Sam nodded slowly. "Think you can keep going?"

"I…I guess so…" The blond answered, looking away.

"Whenever you're ready. Just do one thing for me first."

Sam gave him a curious look. "What?"

"Take off your gear already! If I'm gonna hold ya like this, I wanna at least be comfortable and not have that damn helmet jabbing me!"

For the first time that day, Sam laughed. It was a good natured chuckle, not forced at all like when he was at Mad Town. Lars only looked at him like he's gone crazy. A minute passed before he caught his breath.

"Alright, alright. I'll take off my stuff. It was getting kinda warm anyway."

Stifling his laughter, he sat up, unbuckled his helmet, and unstrapped his pads. After putting said pads in his helmet, he placed it all on the table. He then laid back down against Lars' chest. The brunet blushed as the younger boy nestled himself in. When he was sure Sam was comfortable, he wrapped one arm around his waist and kept the other near his head. Sam contently played with the lint on Lars' shirt as he thought about what to say next. As if to help ease his troubled mind, the brunet gently ran his hand through the other's hair. Lars hid a small grin when he thought he heard Sam purr lovingly.

"Anyway, next was the absolutely _worst_ part of the day…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!.!.!" Sam screamed as he fell for the thousandth time today. He landed hard on his butt in the middle of the half pipe. He groaned as he stood and rubbed his sore spot. Otto, Twister, and Reggie laughed and teased him as he started walking towards the stairs again.

"Pahahahahahahaha!.!.! What a clod!" A malicious and dark voice shouted. Feeling his blood run cold, Sam turned towards the only one who could've said that.

Izzy Lopez, the most conniving, despicable, and evil person in Ocean Shores (next to Lars), smirked smugly at the blond. He was a couple of inches shorter than Lars, which annoyed Sam because it was so easy to look down on him. He was a month and a half older, which annoyed Sam even more. He was wearing a purple short-sleeved shirt under a red vest and a pair of baggy black shorts. He had a dark tan. Spikes of black, raven-like hair stuck out from underneath his purple helmet. Considering their long rivalry of over two years, you'd think that it would be the complete opposite of Sam's. Instead, it was the complete opposite of _Twister's_ helmet. Two bat wings stood out on top of it. A red and black skateboard bearing the image of Shadow the Hedgehog on its underside was beside his legs.

"Hi, Sammy-Sam!" An energetic and cheery voice greeted. Its owner walked out from behind Izzy.

Iggy Lopez was the younger of the two siblings. He was fourteen years old. He was four feet, seven inches tall. He had a lighter tan than his brother. He was wearing a light green shirt that had the dinosaur Yoshi pictured on it and a pair of khaki shorts. His black hair, which was much longer than Izzy's, was barely contained under his forest green helmet, which had a koopa's shell pictured on the front. He was holding a yellow skateboard that had a picture of a spiny shell on its bottom underneath his left arm.

"Hi." Sam waved at Iggy before glaring at the older brother. "What'd ya say!.?"

Izzy's smirk never wavered. "You heard me."

The slightly shorter boy held his shaking fists at his sides as he growled at him. "I'm warning you, Izzy. I'm not in the mood today."

"Oh yeah? Well, get in the mood! Hahahahahahaha!.!.!"

"I'm serious…" Sam said through gritted teeth. "Don't push me today or else…"

The brunet grinned. "Or else what? You'll cry? Ahahahahahahahahaha!.!.!"

To the blond's great displeasure and shock, Otto and the others joined in. With a gaping, wide-eyed look, he looked up at the half pipe in horror. Indeed, they were laughing and pointing at him! Sam snapped his head towards his rival when he heard him snickering.

"Well, well, well, it seems that your friends have turned their backs on ya. Kinda surprising they haven't done so sooner. Heh, heh, heh…"

Sam glowered at him. "What would it take to get you off my back?"

"Play me in a game of I-Z-Z-Y." The evil one replied, pointing at him while kicking up his board. "Let's see who wins in a skateboard battle!"

The bespectacled boy rolled his eyes as his rival grabbed the board gracefully, generating applause from Iggy.

"Yeah right! Why should I face you!.?" He demanded.

"Aw, are ya too chicken Squid?.!" Otto's voice was heard, making Sam pale in disbelief.

"Hmph! Once a Squid, always a Squid!" Twister supplied.

"Yeah, Sammy! I thought you were braver than that!"

The blond gasped. Even _Reggie_ wanted him to do this! Even after all that pain and humiliation he went through when they were playing. And they were _still_ teasing and mocking him! Pushed beyond words, he gritted his teeth and glared at his adversary.

"Fine!" He shouted, picking up his own board and starting towards the pipe. "Let's get this over with."

Sam didn't really have anything to worry about. This was Izzy after all. He had more or less the same skills in extreme sports that the blond had. Normally, their contests would last for hours on end. And every single time, the one in the glasses would prevail. Following every duel, the brunet would swear that he would one day beat Sam, no matter what. That was two years ago. They _still_ go at it whenever they see each other. And not just in sports too. They even once had a staring contest that went on for _days_.

Soon, the two were standing atop the pipe. Otto and the others had left to watch from the ground with Iggy. Izzy looked down at the spectators and then back up at Sam.

"So what's the deal with them?" He asked, pointing a thumb towards the trio, who were strangely cheering _him_ on instead of their friend. Sam looked down with a confused expression before turning back to the brunet.

"I have no clue." He answered. "They were like this when I got here."

"Why did they suddenly turn on ya?"

Sam gave him an angry look. "Why do you care? Let's go already!"

Izzy shrugged nonchalantly. "So much for small talk." He crossed his arms. "I'll let you go first. Just to show ya how much I improved since our last encounter."

The blond scoffed at that. "Yeah, whatever. Here I go!"

And the match was on. Sam performed his best moves to throw his rival off. But miraculously, Izzy was able to match him almost perfectly. The light one performed flying back spins, swivel chairs, nose grabs, and a host of other moves. Snickering all the while, the dark one defeated his attempts at victory with no problem. Even the blond's greatest move, the KF-Superman (a type of tailgrab), was no match for the brunet, which made Sam gape in total disbelief.

'_How did he do that!.? He didn't even fall once!_' He thought after the tenth round finished. He was panting, seemingly worn out.

"Are ya…done yet…?" Izzy panted. Those moves were hard to pull off. Sam nodded.

"Yeah, it's your turn now."

"Goodie. Took ya long enough." The taller boy said, getting his second wind. He looked over the side at their audience, specifically at Otto. The redhead caught his eye and nodded. Izzy smirked evilly as he returned the nod. He turned back to Sam.

"Alright Blondie, watch this! This is my Shadow Air move."

He dropped in and rolled around on the pipe, gaining speed. When he was sure he was going fast enough, he shot up into the air and performed his move, which Sam has never even heard of. Izzy's stunt was basically Otto's Rocket Air, except aggressive spins were added to the mix. Just before returning to earth, he stood up and pulled off a quick 360. He then went back to where a gulping Sam was standing.

"Heh, your turn." He said with a snicker. Sam glowered at him before mounting his board.

"Here goes!"

He went along the pipe for a few moments before shooting off into the air. He managed to set himself up the same way Izzy did, but due to his current emotional state, he couldn't get the spins done right, let alone pull off the 360. With a yelp, he crash landed on the pipe yet again. Iggy gasped and covered his mouth while everybody else laughed and pointed at him.

"Heh, heh, heh… That's an I for ya, Blondie!" The one in the purple helmet bragged. "Hurry up and get back up here!"

Desperately trying to shut out their voices, Sam made his way back up the half pipe's stairs. Izzy sneered as he returned.

"Now we can move on." He said, preparing to drop in again. "I like to call this one, 'Walking on the Dark Side.'"

"Oh please." Iggy muttered, crossing his arms.

Growling at his brother, Izzy took off. When his speed was sufficient, he sent himself airborne. Once at the proper height, he grabbed his board, stepped off it, and moved his legs as if he was walking on thin air. As gravity affected him, he performed a couple of back flips before getting back on his board. He then returned to Sam.

"You're up." was all he said before stepping aside. The trio started their heckling again, causing Iggy to react.

"Huh? Why are you guys acting like that?" He then faced the half pipe and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Come on, Sammy-Sam! Beat him like always!"

"Hey! Whose side are ya on!.?.!" Izzy demanded, shaking his fist.

'_Well, at least **one** person believes in me._' Sam thought with a small smile. He put on a determined look as he jumped off the platform.

His board landed and rolled Sam up and down both sides of the structure before he obtained the necessary speed. When he was up in the air, he performed the first part of the move perfectly. He was pretty used to performing air walks. It was one of the first advanced moves he perfected. Unfortunately, that was the only part he did perfectly. As he did the first back flip, he dropped his board, causing him to skid his knees on the half pipe. Good thing he was wearing his pads or it would've been pretty ugly.

"That's Z sucka!" The dark one called teasingly. Sam got up, retrieved his board, and hobbled back to the half pipe.

Each agonizing step was made even more painful by his friends' jests. His morale was dropping more and more by the second. Iggy's cheering was the only thing that propelled him to continue trying to defeat his rival. If he could do that, then he will at least be able to say he had a happy birthday.

Sam reached the platform and the game started off again. This time, Izzy performed a combination of flips and spins while on his board. When Sam tried to imitate the technique, he wound up getting the first two or three spins done right, but ended up snagging his shirt on a huge splinter. With an almost sickening ripping sound, he fell to the ground with a huge hole over his chest. Everybody but Iggy was in hysterics. They were practically struggling just to remain standing. Feeling tears threatening to fall worse than ever, Sam begged himself inwardly to remain calm as he returned to his rival.

"That's another Z, Blondie. One more mess up and victory's mine! Muahahahahahaha!.!.!"

"Can it! There's no way I'm gonna lose to you!" Sam retorted. Izzy only laughed harder. He soon breathed and got ready to perform his next move.

"This here's my best move. Beautifully named Dark McTwist."

The one in the vest jumped in and started building up his speed. When he reached the right velocity, he took off and shifted himself so that he was upside down. From what Sam could tell Izzy was performing a McTwist, only he was spinning backwards and while upside down. He gaped in complete and total disbelief. It was crazy hard to perform a move like that! Not even _Otto_ can possibly do that one! He trembled in fear as his rival returned, panting hard.

"Hah…hah…You're…up…" Izzy breathed with an air of smugness.

Sam gulped. He could barely perform a _normal_ McTwist, never mind doing it upside down _and_ backwards! …But he had to. He had to beat Izzy and shut up Otto and the others. One thing was going to go right today!

With an outraged, determined look, he dropped in and rolled back and forth until he was going fast enough to perform the move. But when he launched off the pipe, he tilted his body too far and wound up flying far from it! With a horrified scream, he plummeted and landed face first on the concrete. The sound of breaking glass and cracking wood was heard. While everybody on the ground ran over to check him out, Izzy was dumbstruck.

"I…won…?.?.? I seriously _beat_ him?.?.?" He punched the air and danced around. "I actually beat Blondie! At long last I, Izzy Lopez, have defeated my great rival! Ahahahahahahahahahaha!.!.!"

"Ugh…" Sam groaned, slowly sitting up.

"Sammy! Are you ok!.?" Reggie asked with concern deep in her voice. Sam tried to focus on her, but only saw hundreds of blurred objects around him. His eyes widened when he realized what happened.

'_M-m-my glasses… They're totaled!_'

He struggled to hold it together as he felt around for his board. He let out a choked gasp when he felt the splintered remains of half of his board. He soon found the other half and stood, keeping his head bowed. Letting a few droplets loose, he ran out of the park and left in the direction of his home.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"An-an-an-and that's what ha-ha-ha-happened!.!.!" Sam wailed, covering his eyes.

Lars, feeling pure remorse for the boy and extreme hatred for everybody that dared to wrong him today (himself included), embraced him. Still bawling, the blond cried into the other's chest. The brunet felt his temper burning hotter and hotter each second that Sam was in that position. He wasn't gonna let anybody or anything stop him from being happy and joyful. He couldn't stand to see him grieving. He pressed Sam closer to him in an attempt to quell the sobs.

'_I swear, I'm gonna get back at all of 'em!_' He thought with great rage in his heart. '_They're all going to pay for hurting his feelings! I love him too much to see him get picked on or bullied by anybody!.!.! …Well, except for me. And another thing—_'

His eyes widened when he went over what he just said.

'_I…love him…?_' He looked down at the slightly younger boy, who was starting to relax, and smiled. '_Yeah… I love him and I wanna be there to protect him._'

"Squid—I mean Sammy…" He spoke. Sam stopped and looked up, tears still spilling from behind his shattered glasses. He actually called him Sammy. Not Squid, geek, or nerd, but Sammy!

"Y-y-yeah…?" He responded. To his surprise, Lars hugged him and put his head on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry all that happened to you." He started. "Nobody deserves to have all that happen to them, especially on their birthday."

He pulled back and removed Sam's glasses, revealing puffy, red eyes. Those cerulean orbs were wide with surprise as Lars stared into their depths. The brunet saw, among fear, desolation, and loneliness, a strong light. The light of love illuminating the darkness of his heart. Sam grew red in the face when he noticed the older teen coming in close.

Before he knew it, their lips met in a feathery soft kiss. The blond blinked, trying to digest what was happening before giving into his feelings. He closed his eyes and returned the gesture, embracing Lars as well. After enjoying the warmth of each other's spirit for some time, they parted. Despite being out of breath, Sam grinned, finally knowing how his crush feels about him. Lars also grinned at the boy, happy to finally unlock his feelings for him. They leaned their heads against each other.

"Happy Birthday, Sammy." The taller one whispered. Sam felt tears welling up again. This time they weren't tears of sorrow. They were tears of joy and happiness.

"Th-thank you…" He replied, resting his face against Lars' chest. They sat like that for a few minutes before Lars stood up along with him.

"Come on." He said, grabbing Sam's belongings. Sam blinked, following him.

"Where are we going?" He asked. Lars stopped and faced him.

"Well first, we're gonna stop by your house andget yourself a new shirt and your spare glasses. Maybe even talk some sense into your mom." He explained. "Next, I'm gonna go and beat the snot outta every single one of those kooks, _especially_ that Lopez punk. Then, we're gonna go to some expensive restaurant and throw ya a party like one you'll never forget. And if there's still time, I'm gonna get ya a birthday present, plus a new board and gear. If not, we can come back here and get you an even better present." He winked at that, causing Sam to blush and giggle. "Now come on."

Lars took his hand and left through the door.


	4. The Pu’iwa Pa’ina

Feliz Cumpleaños

Epilogue

The Pu'iwa Pa'ina

When they approached Sam's house, they found that the door was locked. Sam grabbed his keys and opened it. When the new couple entered, the whole place was pitch black. After stumbling around for a minute or so, the blond flicked the light switch on.

"**SURPRISE!.!.!**" A dozen voices screamed. Sam and Lars gasped.

"WHAT THE—!.?.!"

The whole room was decorated with balloons, streamers, confetti, and a banner that read, "Happy Birthday, Sammy!" in big, bold letters. One table at the end of the room had an ice cream cake with no less than sixteen candles on it. There were also chips, soda, and other snacks. Next to it was another table that had a tall stack of presents on it. Finally, all of Sam's friends were there, wearing coconut party hats (courtesy of Tito). Even the Lopez Brothers were there, ready to celebrate. Sam looked around completely baffled, mainly because he couldn't see everybody. Noticing his confusion, Lars told him who was there.

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you guys doing here?"

"We're here to wish ya a happy birthday, duh!" Otto shouted as Reggie and Paula walked up to Sam with his spare glasses and a clean shirt respectively. After discarding his old shirt and everything came into focus again, Sam turned to his mother.

"But what about this morning? I thought you completely forgot."

"Oh no. Of course I remembered, silly." Paula said with a chortle. "I just wanted to surprise you, so I set this whole thing up."

"But _oatmeal_?"

The blonde shrugged. "Only thing I could think of on such short notice."

"Oh." Sam blinked, turning to Noelani and Tito. "And what happened to Mas Drallud's tribute, the pu'iwa pa'ina?"

Tito chuckled. "We're having it right now, little cuz."

"Huh?"

"Well first of all, pu'iwa pa'ina is Hawaiian for surprise party."

"And Mas Drallud is Sam Dullard backwards." Noelani clarified, winking. "We didn't want you to know what we were planning after all."

Next up were his friends. "And you guys?"

"We were just pretending to turn on ya, Squid." Twister said as he and Otto walked up to Sam.

"You shoulda known we'd never _really_ do that to ya." Otto added.

"Yeah! We care about ya too much, Sammy." Reggie supplied.

"And what about them?" Sam pointed at Izzy and Iggy. The former slapped the latter, who was trying to get a taste of the cake, upside the head. Noticing that everybody was looking at them, Izzy cleared his throat.

"That's simple." He started, crossed his arms. "Otto here came to me one day and offered to give me skating lessons in exchange for helping them keep this a surprise. After all, you know how big a mouth Iggy has."

"Hey!" The boy in question protested.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "And you actually went along with it?"

"But of course!" Izzy scoffed. "I would never turn down the chance to beat you. Besides, a good rival always wishes his adversary a happy birthday, no matter how much they hate each other. It's the honorable thing to do."

The blond nodded. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah." The dark haired boy waved a dismissive hand. "You better not forget this when _my_ birthday comes around or else."

"Yay! Happy birthday, Sammy-Sam!" Iggy cheered.

Sam gave them both a thumbs-up. He then breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to his friends.

"I'm so glad you guys didn't forget me after all. I thought I would've had to move out or something."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sammy. We'd never turn our backs on you." Reggie reassured.

"Yeah!" Twister agreed.

"But the next time we decide to throw ya a surprise party, we'll try to make it less painful." Otto said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah. I don't think mom can afford to get me another pair of glasses and a new board." Sam chuckled.

"So can we eat already?" Ray asked. He was standing beside his wife and Tito.

"There's one thing that's still bothering me." Sam said, turning to the two Hawaiians. "If this whole 'Mas Drallud' thing was you hinting at the surprise party, what about the human sacrifice part? I mean, we already got the tributes and the golden haired god."

"I'll say." Lars spoke up, putting his arms around Sam's waist and kissing him on the cheek. Everybody in the room gasped and congratulated the new couple.

"Hey, that's right!" Izzy snickered, rubbing his hands mischievously. "So who are we gonna sacrifice? If I remember correctly, the victim's gotta be evil, mischievous, wicked, and have darkness in his heart. So who's it? I wanna see this!"

To his surprise, everybody looked at him. The brunet blinked and looked around himself nervously.

"Wh-wh-why are ya looking at me like th-th-that…?"

"Hmmmmm… Evil…" Otto started, holding his chin.

"Mischievous…" Reggie added, grinning evilly.

"Wicked…" Twister supplied, rubbing his hands.

"And lots of darkness in his heart!" Iggy exclaimed. The rest of the party goers smirked at the elder Lopez Brother. Izzy's eyes widened as he backed up.

"N-n-n-n-now hold on! Y-y-y-y-you're not seriously thinking…?"

"I'll handle this." Lars said, releasing Sam. He grabbed some ropes from Tito and advanced towards his target.

Izzy gulped. "Wh-wh-what are you doing with that r-r-r-rope?.?.?"

"Whaddya think!.? Bonsai!"

Lars lunged at him, causing a dust cloud to form. Izzy was heard screaming as the sounds of combat were heard. The older brunet's cruel laughter was also heard from within the cloud. A few times, Izzy tried to escape, but Lars pulled him right back in. Soon, it dissipated, revealing the two. The brunet in the blue bucket hat was lying on the floor, groaning in defeat. Bruises and lumps were visible. His eyes, both of which were black, were spinning in pure dizziness. His wrists and ankles were tied together.

"One human sacrifice ready to go!" Lars told the rest of the group. Izzy blinked as his eyes widened.

"WHAT!.?.! You can't do this!" He yelled, struggling. His bonds were tied tightly however.

"Chill cuz." Tito walked over and bent towards him. "We're not _really_ gonna kill ya." He whispered.

"Oh… Whew…" The teen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Instead, we're gonna beat ya like a piñata!" Lars shouted, pulling out a piece of white cloth.

"WHA—**MMPH**!.!.!" The older brunet had put the gag on Izzy's mouth preventing him from talking. He then stood back and snapped his fingers. Otto, Twister, and Reggie ran over and picked up the sacrifice.

"Any last words, twerp?" Lars asked walking up and pulling off the gag.

"Yeah, I got a few." Izzy answered. "What'd I do this time!.? I actually helped for once!"

Lars sneered at him. "Heh, ya harmed my boyfriend and that's a huge no-no." He turned to Otto and the others. "Take him away."

"BUH!.?.!" The boy yelped as he was carried off. "Wait! I helped out with this whole thing! Don't bash me! Iggy help!"

"Ok!" Iggy complied. He went over to the nearby closet and grabbed some sticks. "Wait for me guys!" He ran after them. Izzy gave him an exasperated look.

"I so shoulda known…" He then looked at Sam. "Blondie! You know I didn't mean it, right? RIGHT!.?.!"

Sam held his chin. "I don't know… Those insults seemed pretty real to me…"

"Aw _come on_! Don't ya know acting when ya see it!.?" He pleaded as he was carried out the door and into the backyard. "Please!.?.! I helped out! I HELPED OUT!.!.!"

Lars walked up to Sam and put an arm around his shoulder. As the sound of wood hitting flesh and Izzy's pained yelps were heard, he kissed him on the lips.

"I know it ain't much, but I'll give ya a better present later on. Count on it."

Sam grinned. "Oh don't worry. I'm not in any hurry. I'm cool with what I got right here."

And to prove that, he gave Lars a passionate kiss he only too happily returned. When they finally parted, they grinned at each other before going out to the yard, where Izzy roared at Iggy, who hit him in a _very_ sensitive place.

**THE END**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Post-story Conversation

"Whew!" I wiped my sweaty forehead. "Writing this fic was so hard. I hope to never have someone request a story ever again…"

"Aw, but Daddy, ya did a good job!" Iggy encouraged. "And ya probably made someone very happy!"

"Heh, thanks." I patted him on the head. "But still, _never_ again!"

"That fic was so fun to do! It stinks that Izzy beat Sammy-Sam, but at least he got his at the end! It was great to hit him with a stick!"

We both laughed greatly at the mention of that last scene.

°SLAM!°

We stopped and turned towards the doors, which were just kicked open by a severely pissed Izzy. He had the bruises and black eyes Lars gave him plus tons of lumps. Both cheeks were swollen and bandages were _everywhere_. He was seething and burning with extreme rage as he pulled out his mallet.

"I-I-Izzy…?" I said, quivering as Iggy and I backed up nervously.

"Lars **HOGTIED** me and hung me from a tree so that Blondie, his little friends, and _YOU_—" He pointed his weapon at Iggy. "—Could whack me like I was a freaking **PINATA**!.!.! You're both mine!"

He then pulled out a battlechip.

"Bamboo Lance battlechip in! Download!"

As he inserted the chip into his hammer, it glowed a bright green. He then raised it above his head, preparing to strike.

"Hey wait!" I protested. "I told ya to use that chip only if I lied and I didn't! I told ya you were gonna beat Sam, didn't I!.?.!"

"So what!.?.! You're still gonna pay for having Lars beat me up like that!"

He delivered a roar as he slammed his hammer into the ground. The green energy surrounding his mallet left it and sunk into the ground. Moments later, the entire studio shook and rumbled.

"Jump outta the way, Iggy!" I ordered. Iggy nodded and jumped backwards along with me.

Seconds later, a dozen really sharp stalks of bamboo burst out of the ground where we were originally standing. My younger fan character and I sighed with relief as the stalks retreated into the floor. I then glowered at Izzy.

"I knew you'd pull something, so I loaded my own battlechip before the story ended!" I snapped my fingers. "Activate trap!"

Instantly, several vines burst out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Izzy. They constricted and caused the brunet great pain. He threw his head back as he screamed in agony. Soon, the pain was too much, causing him to faint.

"_Izzy, logging out._" An electronic voice said as he disappeared.

"Talk about a close one…" I sighed.

"Let me guess." Iggy started. "Anti-wood?"

"Yep." I smirked. "When you're dealing with Izzy, it helps to have some preventive measures ready just in case." I faced the camera. "We'll see ya next time!"

"Bye!" Iggy shouted, waving.


End file.
